


Draining is Too Mild a Term

by sungabraverday



Category: Bloodlines Series - Richelle Mead
Genre: F/M, pre-Indigo Spell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-29
Updated: 2013-03-29
Packaged: 2017-12-06 22:19:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/740784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sungabraverday/pseuds/sungabraverday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A gift from a stranger, a cat, a ruined piece of clothing, and some truly dreadful news: Sydney hadn't expected Palm Springs to be an easy assignment, but she also hadn't expected it to be even half so draining as it actually is. Thankfully, Adrian will hear her out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Draining is Too Mild a Term

**Author's Note:**

> Massive thanks to the people from fan-write-workshop who have seriously helped my writing along, and gave me brilliant advice and recommendations to make this way better than it might otherwise have been.
> 
> Any similarities too The Indigo Spell are ENTIRELY coincidental, because I started and plotted this before it came out.

Marcus sat across from her in his apartment and said slowly, “You want the answer to your problems? This probably isn’t it. But I can guarantee to you that you can get away from the Alchemists, if that is what you really want. The spell that made my tattoo indigo corrupts the compulsion worked into it. We’d be glad to have you.”

Sydney considered his offer, and nodded. “Alright. Tell me what I need to do.”

He handed her a package of some ingredients and instructions. She glanced at them briefly and mentally deemed it not too technically challenging, especially considering how much work she had been doing in creating spells for Mrs. Telliwerger. 

“It’s a little tricky,” Marcus said, “but if you follow the instructions precisely, you’ll be fine. You’ll need a few hours for it, so make sure you give yourself plenty of time. And go somewhere you can be alone.” 

“Thank you," she murmured. She wasn’t sure that it was what she wanted, but she did want the door open. And knowing someone who had gotten out could definitely be an advantage too. There was no point in saying that, so she put her package into her purse, and smiled.

“Good luck, Sydney.”

She left shortly thereafter, walking four blocks to where she had parked Latte. Her brown Subaru was in the same condition as when she'd left it, so she hit the road.

Just before she got onto the I-10 back to Palm Springs, Sydney pulled into a gas station. She turned her phone back on - they couldn’t track it if it was off, so that had seemed the wisest decision for their safety, but it made her unreachable to a group of people who frequently needed her. It beeped dutifully, a voicemail waiting for her, proving her point . She checked it instantly to ensure that her charges were safe and hadn't accidentally burnt Amberwood down.

Somewhat surprisingly, it was from Carly. She sounded hoarse, like she was in shock. "Sydney," she said, "I need to talk to you. It's-" her voice cracked, and Sydney shivered despite the warmth - "about Zoe." 

Sydney hung up, a sense of dread creeping through her. It took three tries before she could pull the gas nozzle from the car properly, and gas leaked from it when she managed it, staining her khaki skirt a black that would be almost impossible to get out. Swiping her credit card to pay took almost as long.

She pulled forward to the air tank where she could check her tire pressure. On any other day she would have done it, but instead Sydney picked up her phone and called her sister back.

Carly answered the phone quickly. “Sydney?”

“Carly? What’s wrong? What's happened to Zoe?"

"It's not really wrong, maybe. It's just that... well, she took the vows. She's a tattooed Alchemist now."

Sydney nearly dropped the phone. “No, she can’t have! I took this so she wouldn’t have to!” Her voice rose louder and shriller than she had expected, and she glanced around nervously. She lowered her voice back to her normal tone, and continued. “She can’t. Are they going to send her into the field? She’s fifteen! She’s no idea what she’s getting herself into.”

“You’re telling me. How do you think I felt when you joined them? And now she is. Look, I don’t know what you can do, but do something, Sydney. Protect her. Please.”

“I’ll do everything I can, Carly. I always will.”

“Thanks, Sydney. And hey, you take care of yourself too. Zoe’s not the only one I worry about.”

“I’m fine, I promise,” Sydney lied, and that was the end of the conversation. 

Sydney pulled back onto the road and drove faster than she would normally have dared, determined to get back to Palm Springs before she let herself collapse. She pulled off at the exit, and before she even consciously recognised it, pulled up outside Adrian’s apartment. 

Once she stopped, there was no way that she could get moving again, so she parked and went up and knocked on his door. He opened it instantly, and Sydney entered and promptly collapsed onto the plaid couch. Adrian was beside her in a heartbeat.

As was a mangy black and white cat. It was enough to throw Sydney off entirely, and she sat bolt upright. “Adrian, is that a cat?”

“I’m assuming that’s rhetorical. Yes, it’s a cat. I found him in the alleyway, and he was hurt, so I healed him. Figured I could use some company when I wasn’t in class.”

She looked at the cat carefully, watching how it rubbed up against him, how it eyed him with something more than just the incessant hunger she associated with cats.

“Is it... when you say hurt, do you mean dead? Are you bonded to a cat, Adrian?”

“That’s the least of your worries, Sydney. You came here because there’s something seriously on your mind. I can see it in your aura. Don’t worry about the cat.”

“Adrian. Just tell me.”

He sighed. “Alright. Yes, I’m bonded to the cat. Lissa was bonded to a raven; it’s fine.” He paused. “Sydney, please tell me what’s wrong. Is it the Alchemists? Is it Marcus? What happened today?”

She paused and considered what she wanted to say for a moment, and then gave up. She collapsed back into the sofa, falling onto Adrian’s shoulder. Unbidden but inevitable, tears sprang to her eyes. “They’ve got my sister, Adrian. She’s taken her vows. I tried to protect her, and I couldn’t. And now I know how to escape from their control, utterly and completely, and I can’t do it. It’s not an option any more. I have to stay and make sure Zoe’s okay, because my dad sure as hell won’t.”

Adrian stroked her hair and listened patiently as she sobbed brokenly into his shoulder. He didn’t say anything, just held her and let her cry. The cat curled up against her legs, trying to help too, and Sydney cried until she was spent. 

“It’ll be okay,” he said finally. “I’ll help you, whatever you need to do. Just say the word.”

Sydney sat up and gave a token attempt at a smile. “Thanks, Adrian. For... just for being here.” She stood and went to the bathroom mirror, wiping the tear streaks from her face. She took a deep breath to steel herself, and gave him a slightly damp hug before going back to the door. “I need to make it back to Amberwood before curfew. But thank you for everything. And take care of that cat.”


End file.
